The best in sports game software.
(Compute's Getting Started With: Entertainment Software) (Buyers Guide)
by Scott A. May

Sports simulations offer game designers a unique challenge: accurately
representing real-world competition on the computer. While other game genres
allow the imagination to dictate direction, sports titles demand unerring
compliance to rigid rules and regulations. Sorting statistics is the easy part
- after all, computers are born number crunchers. Simulating the true nature
of any sport - an almost metaphysical balance of individual and team effort -
is a whole other ball game. When all elements come together, however, the
results are often the most enduring entertainment of any software genre.

Few sports are as fiercely contested among designers and players as
professional baseball. Debates over which title best simulates the action,
statistics, or managerial options probably will rage as long as fans argue
over their favorite teams. Hardball Ill (Accolade, 800-245-7744, $59.95)
currently reigns as league leader in the action-oriented category. This one
has a lot going for it: beautiful 256-color graphics, VCR-style instant replay
(with option to save), accurately rendered stadiums, TV-style close-ups,
multiple view angles, and best of all, digitized play-by-play from veteran
sportscaster Al Michaels. Play options include exhibition games or
user-defined full season play, with mid-season all-star games and limited
statistical printouts. Add-ons, such as the MLBPA Players Disk ($24.95) and
Big League Ballpark Disk ($24.95), extend the game's instant appeal.

Heating up the bullpen is Accolade's closest rival, Tony LaRussa Baseball II
(Strategic Simulations, 408-737-800, $59.95). This power hitter actually
boasts the league's best graphics and most realistic animation, but it falls
short of the fence in terms of accurate and responsive player controls.
Announcer Ron Barr is on board for digitized play-by-play - smoother, but not
as expressive, as Michaels in Hardball ill. As you'd expect from the title,
the game shines on the managerial side, featuring a roster of 2,000 veteran
players and 54 historical teams, with stats updated and printed in 134
categories. Optional add-on disks include the MLBPA Players ($19.95), AL/NL
Stadiums ($29.95), and Fantasy Draft ($19.95).

For those who see baseball as merely a numbers game, the field abounds with
several excellent all-stat games. Many of the league's oldest and most
respected titles recently have resurfaced with much-needed graphical
facelifts. Beneath their hi-res, mouse-driven facade, however, still beats the
heart of a spreadsheet. Among the best new titles are Microleague Baseball 4
(MicroLeague Sports Association, 302-368-9990, $49.95), APBA Baseball for
Windows (Miller Associates, 800-654-5472, $69.95), and Strat-O-matic Computer
Baseball 4.0 (Strat-O-matic, 800-645-3455, $60).

Although baseball probably will always be known as the national pastime,
football has long been America's favorite sport. The computer gridiron is also
currently the scene of the game industry's hottest innovations. Leading the
charge, with few competitors even close, is Front Page Sports: Football Pro
(Dynamix, 800-326-6654, 69.95). The game's most obvious virtues are the
dazzling on-field graphics, which use much of the same 3-Space technology
pioneered in the company's best-selling flight simulators, Red Baron and Aces
of the Pacific. More than 8,000 frames of rotoscoped animation make up the
incredibly fluid, lifelike player movements, with nine fixed camera positions
capturing the bone-crunching action. Gameplay itself is fast, smooth, and
responsive, with support for dual joystick controls and truly remarkable
computer artificial intelligence. But wait, we've only skimmed the surface!
Beneath this slick veneer are the real goodies: 2,500 plays, real NFL teams
and players, more than 300 printable stat categories, team owner and general
manager duties, and the best coach's playbook designer on the market. No doubt
about it, FPS: Football Pro is a work of art.

Of course, true football fans can never get enough pigskin action. The best of
the second string titles offer credible performances in their own right. Tom
Landry Strategy Football Deluxe Edition (Merit Software, 800-238-4277, $49.95)
tops the list as the most entertaining coaching simulation. Highlights include
a team and league editor, full season play, expanded stat tracking, null or
remote modem play, and the most user-friendly interface in the genre. Other
top draft choices for both action and strategy football include Unnecessary
Roughness (Accolade, $69.95), NFL Football (Gametek, 800-928-GAME, $49.95),
and NFL Coaches Club Football (MicroProse, 800-879-PLAY, $49.95). Pure
strategy fans should check out MicroLeague Football 2 MicroLeague Sports,
($54.95) and 3-in-1 Football (Lance Haffner Games, $39.95).

Few sports are as well adapted to computer simulation as golf, with its
understated strategies and graceful motion. The undisputed king of the
fairways is Links 386 Pro (Access, 800-800-4880, $39.95), best known for its
digitized full-motion video and scanned Super-VGA graphics. Most people don't
believe their eyes upon first seeing the silky swings of the onscreen golfers.
One of the game's most fascinating features is the ability to play a round and
give the results (on disk) to a friend, who can then compete against your
saved game. Other highlights include a user-defined windowed interface,
multiple camera views, printable stats, and crisp digitized sounds. Like most
other established golf games, this one boasts a batch of scenic course disks
($29.95 each). A Windows version is sold under the title Microsoft Golf
(Micro-soft, 800-426-9400, $64.95).

The runners up for best golf game are equally good, in their own way. Accolade
has enjoyed tremendous success with Jack Nicklaus' Golf and Course Design:
Signature Edition ($69.95), noted for its outstanding 256-color VGA course
designer. Beyond the wide assortment of supplement course disks offered
through the company, dozens of user-created courses can be downloaded off
services such as CompuServe, Genie, and America Online. Other worthy golf
titles include PGA Tour Golf for Windows (Electronic Arts, 800..245-4525,
$59.95) and David Leadbetter's Greens (MicroProse, 800-879-PLAY, $59.95), the
latter noted for its unusual multiplayer modem option.

The mechanics of computer auto racing force most games in this category to
straddle the line between sport and simulation. The best in a new breed of
high performance models is World Circuit (MicroProse, $59.95). The game
features exquisite reproductions of 16 world class Grand Prix circuits, from
Monaco's twisting urban sprawl to the gut-wrenching figure eight of Japan's
Suzuka raceway, Fabulous first-person perspective, rendered with a speedy
combination of bit-mapped and textured polygon graphics, puts you right on the
tarmac. The game also feels right, whether you're tearing down the
straight-aways or slipping into a tight curve. A unique alternating play mode
allows two drivers to compete on a single computer. Or you can play two
simultaneously via null or remote modem link. Other worthy contenders for the
checkered flag are IndyCar Racing (Papyrus Software, 617-868-5440, $74.99),
Car and Driver (Electronic Arts, $59.95), and Mario Andretti's Racing
Challenge (Electronic Arts, $24.95).

The best of the so-called minor sports include 4-D Boxing (Electronic Arts,
$24.95), an amazing new approach that borders on virtual reality. Boxers are
rendered with large polygon shapes, affecting an odd, abstract look, but
facilitating remarkably fluid, lifelike motion. Multiple camera angles,
including a wild first-person view, puts you right in wing. Hockeyfans will be
delighted with Electronic Arts' excellent NHL Hockey ($69.95), a potent
combination of fast action and in-depth coaching skills. Converted to the PC
from the best-selling Sega Genesis original, the game features full rosters of
real NHLPA teams and players, with your choice of exhibition or full 84-game
season play, including the Stanley Cup finals. Other highlights include Ron
Barr's digitized voice, skate or coach play options, detail stat reports, and
two-play competitive mode.